Being Social
by luciditygone
Summary: Annabeth was happy with her typical existence. Then, someone snaps her picture with the hottest-bachelor-under-25 and her life becomes a whirlwind of charity functions, fancy dinners, and...coming out parties... are you serious?


**_a/n: Hello. I started this story a couple months ago but I lost access to my account. But I've got it back now and I'm reposting this story with some revisions. Thanks._**

 _Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series._

 ** _Chapter One_**

It was lunch time. Annabeth was sitting with Piper, her back pressed up against the lunch room wall, her feet stretched out in front of her on the lunch table bench. Piper was updating her on the gossip around the school. The gossip updated itself everyday and Piper made sure to tell Annabeth about each and every tidbit of new information that she heard. To keep Annabeth "well informed". Not that Annabeth remembered many of the things that Piper told her. Today, Piper was telling her, in quick whispers about a very public break up between Percy Jackson and his steady-girlfriend-of-one-week.

"He just told her it was off. And she started bawling, just bawling."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "She's pissed because she didn't last long enough for a picture of her to end up in newspaper."

Percy was a popular guy. Not just at school. He was popular at school, of course, but he was popular outside of school too. From the way people talked about him, you'd think that he'd done something wonderful. Like winning a Nobel peace prize, or saving a bunch of people from a burning building or something like that. But no, all he'd done was be the son of one of the most successful businessmen in the country. Poseidon Jackson. And okay, he was attractive, but that was it. He'd done absolutely but be born into a rich family with good genes. But it was enough.

Piper continued to talk about couples, but now she'd switched to talking about couples who'd gotten together.

Though Piper ground on her nerves, Annabeth was glad they were friends.

All through lunch, Annabeth drowned out Piper and obsessed over her unfinished chemistry homework. Annabeth cared about academics, she really did, but chemistry? She couldn't do it. It was the one subject that she did not excel in, besides English, but even her essay skills were improving. Her chemistry skills, if anything, were getting worse. Last night she had sat at her desk, in her bedroom, staring blankly at the page of her science textbook, only to slam it shut in frustration. She had given up on the homework and, as a result, the equations for the experiment, happening in -according to the clock on her phone- exactly 15 minutes when chemistry started- were not complete.

Annabeth picked at her sandwich until the lunch bell rang, then rushed out of the lunchroom, clutching her book bag, Piper right beside her.

"Pipes, help. Knock me down or something, or find someone who's sick and make then cough on me or something. Get me out of chemistry!"

Piper studied her face. "I won't ask if something wrong because it obviously is, but I'll ask why you don't want to do chemistry? It's experiment day. One of the better days."

"I never finished the equations, and you know how Malcolm is. He'll be a pain today, well more than usual."

Piper rolled her eyes. Annabeth had forgotten about Piper's opinion on her "Malcolm Issue". Piper actually thought that Annabeth should look out for Malcolm, and be nicer to the guy. "Annabeth I've told you, He's just insecure."

"He's just a pompous prick."

They reached their classroom and Piper left Annabeth's side with a wink, and went over to her lab partner and boyfriend, Jason. Annabeth went over to her own desk. When Malcom spotted her, a sneer developed on his face.

He pushed his thick rimmed glasses further up his nose and said, "Are you ready for lab?"

He gave a nasty smile as though he already knew that she had failed to do her homework. Annabeth sighed as she took her seat beside Malcom. Malcom was, for lack of a better work, a nerd. He wore collared shirts, too short pants, and always kept three -exactly three- highly sharpened Number 2 pencils in his shirt pocket. But Malcom was smart. And despite what Piper insisted about him being insecure, Annabeth was absolutely, positively sure that he knew that he was smart.

Annabeth struggled through settling up the experiment, while Malcom watched with an unpleasant smile stretching across his face. The teacher walked around the classroom, helping students, and somehow failing to notice to Percy and whatever-her-name fondling across from her. The other bad thing about chemistry, besides Malcom (and Annabeth's steadily falling grades) was watching Percy and whatever girl he was with, making out over the test tubes. Right across from her. It must have been a cruel twist of fate which had landed her in a desk right across from Percy Jackson. And, because Percy sat right across from her, he shared lab supplies her and Malcom. So twice a week, all year, he'd had to ask for supplies, and twice a week, all year, Annabeth had told him her name. Did he remember it? No.

"Hey…um?"

Annabeth ignored him. If he couldn't remember her name, she couldn't remember that he was talking to her.

"Hey," he said, in a louder voice.

Annabeth continued to ignore him. Malcom poked her, hard, with what felt like one of his razor sharp pencils. Whatever-her-name cleared her throat.

"Hey, gray shirt girl!"

Annabeth snapped her head up from the instruction sheet, "Yes, blue shirt guy?"

"My name is Percy," He looked almost offended.

"My name is Annabeth."

"Okay…well, can you hand me that tube thing?"

Annabeth sighed. "What _tube thing_ exactly?"

"The one with the yellow thing on the bottom?"

Annabeth picked it up then dangled it a few inches out of Percy's reach. "What's my name?"

Percy stared at her blanky for a few seconds, then said, "Hey Malcom, can you hand me that tube thing?"

Annoyed at having his calculations interrupted, Malcom wrenched the cylinder from Annabeth's grasp and handed it Percy, before lowering his nose back to his calculator.

Annabeth continued to struggle through the experiment, expecting Malcom to step in, as he usually did when she came too close to mixing together highly reactive chemicals, with an exasperated sigh. But when she turned in his direction he wasn't looking at her, he was bent over a piece of wrinkled paper.

"4.5658?" Malcolm's nasally voice rang out in. Annabeth suddenly saw that he had somehow gotten hold of her homework and was looking over her answers, his unpleasant smile back. Before she could reply, he spoke again, "How did you get that answer? The answer is Zinc. The answer isn't even a number."

Annabeth turned slightly in her chair and caught Piper's eye. Piper shot her a meaningful look. Annabeth shot back a look that she hoped conveyed: "Help Me."

When she turned back to lab table Malcom was smirking unpleasently. He was pouring something into a clear beaker, and he'd poured out the greenish goop that Annabeth had somehow created.

Annabeth felt someone poke her in the shoulder, hard. Right over a bruise she'd gotten when she fallen in gym class.

Annabeth clapped her hand over her shoulder, crying out loudly. "Ouch!"

"Sorry umm…" Percy said, trailing off.

"Annabeth!" Annabeth almost shouted. Half the class turned around in their seats, to look at her.

"I need a pencil."

Annabeth threw one at him, aiming for his face. Annabeth turned quickly away from him.

Malcolm raised his pale hand in the air. "We're done." He announced. Beaming proudly down at their (his) experiment.

"Well done Malcolm and Annabeth. Extra credit points for you both. No one else has finished yet!"

Malcolm opened his mouth, probably to state loudly that Annabeth hadn't helped at all, and therefore should not get any extra credit, but Annabeth slammed her foot into his calf and his mouth twisted into a pained grimace, cutting off his speech.

He glared at her, wincing.

:::

The rest of the day was uneventful. Annabeth fell over several times in gym class. She wished that she could just tell the gym teacher that she was not and never would be, athletic in any way shape or form, and force him to give her up as a lost cause and let her sit out of the classes.

She rode the bus home with Piper. Annabeth climbed off the bus at her stop and jogged into the house.

"Mom?" She yelled.

"Hey, honey!" Her mother called wrapping her in a big hug. "How was school?"

The thing Annabeth loved most about her mother was the way she greeted you like you'd been away for 8 years, instead of 8 hours.

It had been just the two of them for years and Athena felt more like a fun favorite Aunt, then a mother.

"The usual." Annabeth said.

Annabeth dropped her bag on the floor with a thud, and collapsed on the couch.

"Annabeth, I need your help with something."

Annabeth groaned.

"I know, I know." Athena said.

Annabeth's mother was a professional house keep and party planner, and every so often when there was a big event going on, Athena would enlist Annabeth's help for minor chores.

"What's going on?"

"I need you to change the sheets in all the rooms on the top floor. Mr. Jackson is coming home and you know how he is."

Yes, Jackson. , as in Poseidon Jackson, as in Percy Jackson father. Annabeth's mother had worked for the Jackson's for the last five years, and Annabeth had lived in a small house in the corner of the Jackson property. Again proof that fates hated her. Not that she saw much of Percy around the house. He was usually out, partying, getting his picture taken with his tongue in some girls throat. Percy did however leave a trail of destruction behind him. He liked to throw parties and leave a huge mess for Annabeth's mother and her staff to clean up. He also liked to take girls back to his suite and well…they made a mess there too.

Annabeth hiked across the perfectly green and lush grass and to the staff entrance of the house. A young maid named April greeted her. "Here are the sheets Annabeth."

Annabeth took them and marched up the back stairs. She was breathing heavily by the time she reached the top floor. She always told herself that she would get more exercise at some point and get into shape. She knew she would never do it, but it was the thought that counted.

She quickly worked her way down the hallway. The hall was very long, but each of the rooms were so large that there were only three rooms on the whole floor. Annabeth listened for the telltale sign that Percy was in his room: loud music blasting through his huge speaker system. There was only silence. Annabeth pushed open the door and went over to the bed. She stripped it of its sheets and was putting on the fitted sheet when she heard someone speak, directly behind her.

"What the hell are you doing in my room."

She whipped around and screamed. There was Percy, standing in the bathroom doorway. Dripping wet and completely and totally naked. Nude.

"My eyes!" Annabeth yelled. "Oh my god! My eyes."

"Most girls would be pretty glad to see me like this."

Annabeth slapped her palms over her eyes."I was here to change your sheets. I thought you weren't here."

"Whatever, Annabeth. You can open your eyes know by the way, I have pants on now."

Annabeth slowly lowered her hands from her eyes.

She quickly finished putting on the sheets. Then she hurried from the room. It hit her, as she walked down the back stairs, that he'd called her Annabeth. He definitely knew her name.


End file.
